Director of Finance

Background: Founded in 1985 by Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988), The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum (The Noguchi Museum), was the first museum in the United States to be established, designed, and installed by a living artist to show their own work. Located in the vibrant neighborhood of Long Island City, Queens, the Museum itself is widely viewed as one of the artist’s greatest achievements. Holding the world’s largest collection of his works, the Museum features open air and indoor galleries in a repurposed 1920s industrial building and a serene outdoor sculpture garden.

Since its founding, the Museum has served as an international hub for Noguchi research and appreciation. In addition to managing the artist’s archives and catalogue raisonné, the Museum exhibits a comprehensive selection of Noguchi’s material culture, from sculpture, models, and drawings to his personal collectibles. The Museum is also the North American distributor of Isamu Noguchi’s Akari light sculptures and manages the distribution of Akari worldwide.

Provocative installations drawn from the permanent collection, together with diverse special exhibitions and collaborations with contemporary practitioners across disciplines, offer a multifaceted view of Noguchi’s art and illuminate his enduring influence as an innovator. Through its rich collection, exhibitions, and programming, the Museum facilitates scholarship and learning for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Capital Project: In the next few years, the Museum will embark on a capital project, expanding the Museum’s campus. The plans will include a new nearly 20,000-square-foot facility on its properties across the street from the Museum and adjacent to Isamu Noguchi’s original 1960 studio building. The Museum will also preserve the studio building, which is in urgent need of stabilization. Noguchi’s workshop spaces will be renovated and the living quarters Noguchi created will be restored, with regular tours for visitors. Once complete, the renovation will enable the Museum to secure this important historic property and open it to the public for the first time. The project is anticipated to cost around $30 million and has received commitments from the City of New York. The Director of Finance will be responsible for managing the financial framework for the campaign and financial reporting to funders and City agencies.

The Position: The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum seeks a dynamic Director of Finance to collaborate closely with the Director, Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, and the Board’s Finance and Investment and Audit Committees. As a key member of the senior leadership team, the Director of Finance will play a crucial part in maintaining the financial operations of the Museum, providing insightful reports and analyses, and establishing procedures to ensure the Museum’s fiscal health. Navigating the intersection of the museum programs and the robust merchandising operations, the Director of Finance will be instrumental in balancing the Museum’s mission with financial sustainability. The Director of Finance will oversee a Manager of Accounting and an Accounts Payable and Benefits Manager and will work closely with all Museum departments and several outside consultants.

The Director of Finance must be able to work in partnership with the Director, staff, and the Board, and be able to integrate smoothly into the senior management at the Museum, fitting into the organization’s collaborative and inclusive culture. They must be passionate about the Museum’s work and be able to work in a supportive and direct manner with the staff and with stakeholders in a spirit of mutual trust.

The successful candidate must be a highly skilled financial executive who has many years of experience in high-level management positions, particularly in nonprofits or cultural institutions. This person will be a strategic thinker who is thoroughly familiar with generally accepted accounting principles. The Director of Finance will have strong interpersonal skills, excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to address and solve problems as they arise. In addition, this individual will be diplomatic, of the highest integrity, and possess sound judgment.

Specific Responsibilities include:

General

• Oversee the Museum’s financial landscape, including managing the Museum’s institutional budget of approximately $11 million, and serve as the liaison for its investment portfolio of approximately $44 million.
• Manage all aspects of the Museum’s finances including accounting and tax filings, audits, risk management, and financial planning and analysis.
• Act as the primary staff contact to the Finance and Investment Committee and Audit Committee of the Board.

Accounting, Financial Management, and Controls

• Ensure financial compliance, including timely issuance of audited financial statements and various tax forms.
• Serve as the primary liaison with the Museum’s external accounting firm.
• Oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual closing on a timely basis, maintaining workpapers and reconciliations for accounts and the NetSuite General Ledger.
• Oversee management of the investment portfolio.
• Produce prompt monthly financial reports for management and the Board.
• Collaborate with department heads on strategic goals and budgets.
• Develop and maintain accurate cash flow forecasts. Optimize working capital by working with the team to manage receivables, payables, and inventory levels. Collaborate with financial institutions and other external partners to negotiate favorable terms for the organization.
• Work closely with the Development department to manage grants and contributions and assist in related budgets and expenditure reports.
• Maintain a system of accounting controls, policies, and procedures.

Retail Operation Financial Management

• Collaborate with the Museum’s leadership to improve product sales and margins, including in-depth financial modeling and analysis.
• Track and process international income and expenses related to the Museum’s merchandise operations and royalties, which requires basic understanding of international currencies and exchange rates and oversee merchant banking and other online transactions to ensure completeness and accuracy.
• Work with the third-party vendor (Avalara) to ensure accurate preparation and filing of sales tax returns. Maintain accurate reconciliations of the sales tax balance.

Payroll and Administration

• Supervise all aspects of the Museum’s payroll, the implementation of health insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, and other benefits.
• Collaborate with the Director of People and Culture on human resource issues from finance and compliance perspectives.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration or related field, or equivalent work experience; advanced degree preferred. While a CPA is not necessary, knowledge of accounting principles is essential.
• At least 10 years of experience in a leadership role in a finance department, preferably in arts organization(s) or other non-profits and /or in a retail environment.
• Knowledge of accounting rules and regulations including: USGAAP, USGAAS, IRS regulations, and Accounting Section Codification (ASC) 958 Not for Profit Entities.
• High level of emotional intelligence and capable of managing difficult situations with tact and diplomacy.
• Strong business instincts, able to quickly identify problems, synthesize a variety of factors to make effective and practical decisions and develop an appropriate course of action.
• Proven high standards of performance; eager to pursue aggressive goals, working hard and efficiently to achieve them. Must be persistent, decisive, resourceful, proactive, and results oriented.
• Understands programmatic activity and has the ability to convey information to people with varying levels of financial expertise.
• Excellent skills in problem solving and critical analysis.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Team player with a collaborative ethos and strong supervisory skills; must be able to build consensus internally and externally.
• Prior experience with NetSuite, Shopify, Celigo, Shopify POS, and Bill.com, and Justworks, a plus.